Photo by Michele Almeida

(WEST HUDSON, NJ) -- The West Hudson Arts & Theater Company (WHATCo) is bringing the Bard to West Hudson this September! Performances of Othello will take place Saturday and Sunday, September 23-24 at 7:30pm, while performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream will take place Saturday and Sunday, September 29-30 at 8:00pm.  All performances take place at the WHATCo The Theater at WHATCo,  15 Frank E Rodgers S, Harrison, NJ.

This Shakespeare run marks the first performances of these classic works in our area in recent memory. The unique undertaking has prompted WHATCo to create and launch several new initiatives surrounding the performances.

Since the collaboration has been underwritten in whole by HACPAC’s annual Shakespeare in the Park series, WHATCo will be able to implement a special “Pay What You Choose” ticketing structure for the performances. “It’s our mission to ensure that live theater is available to everyone in our community.  For some, this may be their first experience with a live Shakespearean performance – we want to be sure that everyone is able to attend!” said WHATCo President Brandi-Leigh Miller.

Photo by Brooke Gorsica

A Midsummer Night’s Dream director and WHATCo Board member Matt Masiello noted that “to fully appreciate Shakespeare, it's best to see the plays live on stage …and most  students in our area only study his plays out of books.”  As such,  WHATCo will also be reaching out to middle and high school systems in East Newark, Harrison and Kearny to provide a variety of correlative education tools including lesson plans and activities for classroom use to complement the performances, as well as incentives for students to attend the productions.

WHATCo will also launch a new “Education Spotlight” series, pre-show audience primers that will not only feature short power-packed synopsis of the plays, but will also highlight significant themes, discuss ties to pop culture and identify recognizable quotes. The Education Spotlight, sponsored by the PSE&G Foundation, will be presented 30 minutes before each performance. Patrons who wish to participate will be invited to join a WHATCo volunteer and cast member in a classroom setting for a brief 10 - 12 minute presentation.

The opportunity to work with HACPAC was first presented to TNT President and WHATCo Artistic Advisor Beatriz Esteban-Messina, who recognized that sharing resources and introducing new performers could be valuable to both theaters.   “It’s an amazing opportunity and completely aligns with our ongoing commitment to bring new and dynamic events to our West Hudson audiences,”  said Esteban-Messina, who is also be directing Othello.

Visit www.whatconj.org for more information and tickets; some seats may be available at the door the event of the performances.  Follow WHATCo Instagram and Facebook for updated information.

Photo by Michele Almeida